MailChimp vs ConvertKit: Which Email Marketing Tool is Better?

MailChimp and ConvertKit are both popular email marketing services among professional bloggers and marketers alike.

Founded in 2001, MailChimp is somewhat of a veteran in the email marketing service provider (ESP) space. MailChimp began as a paid email marketing service and a freemium option (Forever Free Plan) was added in 2009. The free plan provided by Mailchimp is incredibly popular, allowing you to send 12,000 emails to up to 2000 subscribers. At the time of this review, MailChimp commands a market share of 45.71%. Its closest competitor, Constant Contact, has a market share of 18.36%.

ConvertKit, on the other hand, is relatively new but quickly gaining foothold, thanks to endorsements from leading bloggers and its advanced automation features. Some have compared the automation features to those provided by premium software such as InfusionSoft and HubSpot. We published a detailed review of ConvertKit a few months ago which you should definitely check out if you need a more detailed analysis of the tool.

In this Mailchimp vs ConvertKit comparison review article, we’ll compare these two tools in core areas and help you decide which one you should sign up for.

This article will not follow the regular review comparison template we usually follow at 99signals. Instead, we’ll show you 5 areas in which MailChimp trumps ConvertKit and 5 areas where ConvertKit is better.

1. Pricing

MailChimp offers a free plan wherein you’re allowed to send 12,000 emails to up to 2000 subscribers. If you exceed the limit, you’ll have to upgrade to one of their paid plans which start from $10/month. The free plan doesn’t give you access to email automation and some of the other premium features such as send time optimization and advanced segmentation.

In contrast, ConvertKit is not just more expensive than Mailchimp, but is probably one of the most expensive ESPs in the market. The basic plan starts from $29/month and includes only 1000 subscribers. There is no trial offered either.

MailChimp is one of the most affordable ESPs in the market, even when you decide to upgrade to any of their paid plans.

3. Send Time Optimization

Available only to paid users, Send Time Optimization feature on Mailchimp takes the guess work out of sending emails at optimal times.

When you create a campaign and turn on the Send Time Optimization feature, MailChimp uses that data to pinpoint an ideal time within 24 hours of your selected send date, and send your campaign at that time. This feature is incredibly useful, especially if you have a diverse list of subscribers from different countries.

4. Ease of Use

Because of the awesome free plan, many people start building their email list on MailChimp. As such, MailChimp is one of the most beginner-friendly ESPs in the market.

The dashboard is straightforward and easy to understand. Beginners and pros alike will find it easy to learn the basic functionalities of the tool and even master premium features such as email automation and A/B testing in no time.

5. Positive Reviews and Overall Sentiment

MailChimp has stellar reviews on review sites such as G2Crowd, TrustRadius and Capterra. Leading marketing professionals, influencers, and bloggers just love the tool.

Most users find the tool easy to use and the navigation simple. The free plan offered by MailChimp sets industry benchmark in terms of features offered and is a great way to learn the basics of email marketing before moving on to advanced features.

1. Email Automation/Autoresponders

ConvertKit is all about automation, offering you endless possibilities to automate your emails. It allows you to tag subscribers with any custom tag you want after they complete a particular course of action.

With ConvertKit, automation is based on a simple “if this / then that” sequence. There is a bit of learning curve involved here, but you’ll eventually get used to it. And this is the feature that sets ConvertKit apart from other ESPs in the market. You can determine who receives sequence emails and when they receive them by setting up a number of ‘triggers’ and ‘actions’ that will execute when the trigger’s condition occurs.

2. Well-designed Sign Up Forms

ESPs are not particularly known for the design of their sign up forms. ConvertKit is an exception to the rule. Not only are the sign up forms easy to setup and customize, but they also look great.

You can display the forms inline with content, display as a modal, or slide in from the bottom. Because of the professionally designed forms, you need not invest in expensive optin form plugins to grow your email list.

3. Broadcasts and Sequences

ConvertKit allows you to send emails as one-time broadcasts, but the real USP of ConvertKit lies in its sequences.

The tool will guide you through a number of different email types and develop chains of emails that will be sent to subscribers who are tagged to receive them.

4. Landing Pages

ConvertKit provides 3 landing page templates to design a custom page. These are great if you are providing a free eBook, webinar or course to grow your email list.

Landing pages are easy to create and design with a few customization options thrown in to create the perfect lead magnet to build your email list.

5. Email Analytics

Tracking email metrics on a consistent basis helps you refine and improve your email marketing strategy. It’s one of the essential aspects of what makes email marketing work.

Analytics and reporting on MailChimp are pretty basic, giving you an overview of important email marketing metrics such as open rate, click rate, unsubscribes, etc. ConvertKit’s analytics are a little more advanced. Every form, landing page, and email has detailed stats so you can know exactly how each of these elements are performing.

If you’re a sort of person who likes detailed reports for each email campaign or sign up form, then you’ll love ConvertKit’s advanced analytics and reporting features.

MailChimp vs ConvertKit: Final Verdict

Both these tools are exceptional and each have their own their pros and cons as listed above. MailChimp is more affordable and beginner-friendly while ConvertKit has advanced automation features and better-looking sign up forms.

Your choice of ESP will depend on your requirement and budget. If you want a reliable yet affordable email marketing tool, then go for MailChimp. If you’re looking for advanced automation features and don’t mind spending over $29/month on an ESP, then opt for ConvertKit.

5 COMMENTS

Thanks for the comparison. I’ve been using Mailchimp for a while, but I guess my needs outgrew it. I’m also considering GetResponse. They have marketing automation, which looks quite easy to use. Have you tried it?

Hey Sandeep, another great article! We have been testing out marketing automation platforms so we can get more sign-ups over to our email list. A few products really shine for what they do. I like convert-kit a lot, my second choice would be ONTRAPORT. We use Built-With tool a lot to reverse engineer websites that are doing well online. Basically the tool can tell you all the different software they are running on their blog. Great for competitor research in the tool / tech space!

Hey Sandeep – this is by far the best MailChimp Vs ConverKit comparison post I have come across thus far. I read almost anything that comes out on these topics (I am an email geek like that 🙂 ).

Have used both MailChimp and ConvertKit over past few years and this comparison is pretty spot on. I started with MailChimp and then switched to ConvertKit (few years back). Loved ConvertKit, but it didnt scale for me beyond 6 months. I had to duct tape it with other softwares like sumome for pop-ups, Instapages for landing pages, pushcrew for web-push etc. That’s when I discovered sendx.io and never looked back. It does everything (well, almost!) that ConvertKit does + you can makes pop-ups, create landing pages and has excellent delivery rates. I cancelled 4 software subscriptions and now just pay for sendx alone.
Although I still like convertkit but I don’t think I moving back to it anytime soon.

Hey Mike – Thank you so much for your kind words. And thanks for sharing your experience with ESPs. I’m still using ConvertKit, MailChimp, and to a lesser extent, SendinBlue. But I’d definitely want to check out Sendx after your recommendation. I’m always on a lookout for new ESPs that provide extra value to customers.

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About Me

Hi there, I’m Sandeep Mallya!

I’m an entrepreneur and digital marketing consultant from Bangalore, India. I founded my own digital agency, Startup Cafe Digital, in 2015 where I help SMBs leverage social media, SEO, and content marketing to grow their traffic and generate qualified leads for their business.

I started 99signals in 2016 as a side project to document all the strategies, tools, and tactics that I was using to grow my small agency. The goal was simple: to arm other solopreneurs with all the right information they needed to launch a successful business.

ABOUT ME

Hi there, I’m Sandeep Mallya!

I’m an entrepreneur and digital marketing consultant from Bangalore, India. I founded my own digital agency, Startup Cafe Digital, in 2015 where I help SMBs leverage social media, SEO, and content marketing to grow their traffic and generate qualified leads for their business.

I started 99signals in 2016 as a side project to document all the strategies, tools, and tactics that I was using to grow my small agency. The goal was simple: to arm other solopreneurs with all the right information they needed to launch a successful business.

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